The man the Newark school board selected as the district’s new superintendent backed out this week, leaving the district without a superintendent days before the start of school.

The trustees had chosen Donald Gill, superintendent of Antioch schools, to lead Newark’s district after interviewing him in closed session for more than two hours last week.

But Antioch board members persuaded Gill to stay after increasing his salary and asking him to finish important district projects, he said Friday.

Gill’s decision sent Newark Unified back to its superintendent-search consultant.

Newark’s board announced the surprising turn of events on Friday, Superintendent Dave Marken’s final day. Last week, the Newark school board’s legal counsel, in anticipation of hiring a new superintendent, asked Marken to vacate his office well before his Sept. 30 resignation date. Gill on Friday elaborated on the programs he wants to keep working with: the district’s consideration of a new charter school and hopes to make progress on its African-American Male Achievement Initiative.

“Those are two big ones,” he said. “Also, the residents voted to renovate Antioch High and we’re looking at renovating other schools.”

Antioch’s offer was made in a special closed session Wednesday, in which Gill participated by phone from San Diego hours after the birth of his second grandchild.

“I’m required by contract to inform the board if another district selected me as a finalist,” said Gill, 62. “They wanted to know if they could match Newark’s offer and they were able to.”

Gill, who said he earned a base salary of $236,000 this year, has been Antioch’s superintendent for six years. He said his new salary likely will rise each year by 2.5 percent but that details still must be completed, pending a meeting with district leaders and board approval.

More in News

Thirty-six people — musicians, artists, students, lovers and friends — lost their lives on Dec. 2, 2016, in the fire that consumed the Oakland warehouse known as the “Ghost Ship.” Here are their stories.

A long-awaited plan to keep the Raiders in Oakland was announced late Friday by city and council officials. It includes a public investment of $350 million, pegged to the value of the Coliseum land and infrastructure improvements.